Guided by Loyalty

Guided by Loyalty: Ann Casey and Finlay mark 50 years of Irish Guide Dogs

Finlay is an adorable black Labrador, full of fun and "divilment." He loves to play — unless he is working, when he takes his responsibilities very seriously.

Finlay is the current guide dog of Ann Casey, the second ever person in Ireland to get a dog from the Irish Guide Dogs, which she described as life-changing.

"I remember getting my first dog and taking the train to Dublin with my baby in a sling. It was freedom," she recalled.

Ann is sharing her story to raise awareness of the Irish Guide Dogs' 50th Anniversary and to highlight their current drive to find puppy raisers.

The charity is currently recruiting volunteers to foster future Guide, Assistance, and Community Dogs in their homes, giving puppies the vital early training and socialisation they need before progressing to advanced training.

Puppy Raisers care for a puppy from approximately nine weeks old to around 14 months, helping them learn basic obedience, confidence, and social skills that form the foundation of their future working life. These dogs go on to provide independence and life-changing support to people who are blind or vision impaired, as well as families of children with autism.

Ann said puppy raising comes with its challenges but that those who answer the call are changing lives.

"It can be heartbreaking letting the dog go but they are leaving to do what they've been chosen for, and that's a great thing."

A Lifetime of Guide Dogs

Ann has Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a group of rare, genetic eye disorders that cause the light-sensing cells (photoreceptors) in the retina to gradually break down and die.

It leads to progressive vision loss, typically starting with poor night vision and reduced peripheral sight, often advancing to tunnel vision.

"My sight was always very bad, so I had to go to boarding school for the blind," Ann said. "I went there when I was four years old. There was nothing explained to you or anything, people were different that time. You definitely get toughened up going to a boarding school but it wasn't that bad. It was hard for a four year old to understand.

"My sight gradually got worse and worse. Now I can see virtually nothing, I know when it's bright and when it's dark but I can't figure out anything."

At boarding school, Ann learned braille and, later, to type. It wasn't until she became a mother that her first dog Luther came into her life.

"It was 1980 before Irish Guide Dogs were fully set up. I was just after having a baby, he was about a month old. I was the second person to get an Irish Guide Dog and started my training the following October."

A keen reader, she worked as a telephonist until retirement, teaching braille online during Covid for "something to do." She explained the impact of the dogs on her everyday life.

"I used to use a long cane and I wasn't too bad with it but I lived in Clonmore and only walked at that end of the town. My sister Deirdre lived up the other end of the town and my aim was to independently walk up to her house. The first thing I wanted to do when I got Luther was get to Deirdre's in the safest way."

Helping the Dogs

Now three years old, Finlay follows in the pawsteps of Luther, Quiver, Kerry, Cliff, Henley, Tayto and Zebedee in guiding his owner to her destination. In order to make his job as easy as possible, Ann has some good advice.

"It's better not to touch the dog when he's working," she said. "Most people ask if you mind if they rub the dog, especially children, and I will stand and drop the handle. I love children, they are great fun so I'd tell them of course, but don't do it if somebody's walking along and trying to find their way. It could put the dog off."

Ann's husband Eamonn is also blind but uses a cane to find his way around. His request is for better maintenance of the traffic lights.

"We rely on the lights in town," he said. "If they're not working properly, it throws us out. The ones at the Dublin Bridge were giving trouble for ages but thankfully now they're great."